Gov. Schwarzenegger has successfully called attention to California's ongoing health care crisis by proposing a comprehensive plan that calls for shared responsibility in finding a solution to our state's broken health care system.

And make no mistake, it is a broken system. Hospitals and physicians have been living with the effects of this crisis for some time now demonstrated by hospital closures and relocation of providers. For example, in the past decade, more than 65 emergency rooms and more than 70 acute-care hospitals have closed statewide. San Diego County has lost seven hospitals since 1996.

The hidden tax the governor refers to as a result of cost-shifting is real as are the effects of consistent and growing unfunded mandates. As the governor accurately indicates in his plan, care for the uninsured and underinsured comes at a price to all of us. When medical bills go unpaid, hospitals must shift the costs onto those who can -- those with health insurance. This hidden tax -- in the form of higher-priced premiums, deductibles and co-pays -- costs each insured Californian $455 a year, according to a study released in December by the New America Foundation...

For the complete article, please visit The San Diego Union Tribune website.

To view the New America study, please click here.